we're just friends
by stuntbook
Summary: Yosuke and Naoto got into games. Like, really, really into games.
1. okami

He knew nearly nothing about Naoto. Nothing more than her shadow had disclosed, at least.

So why was he here? Sitting here, playing games and pretending everything was normal? He was supposed to feel awkward at this point. This was the famed detective prince after all; one who the group had learned, had close to no social skills.

"This particular level, it requires you to-" she sits up and swipes the Wii remote in a pattern which Yosuke doesn't recognize, successfully painting a symbol onto the screen, "-illustrate spells faster than before, and the monsters are regenerating faster than I can keep up w-"

She stops talking, mouth formed into a thin line as she concentrates on the screen. Clouds signal the end of the battle, and only then does Naoto ease her posture.

"...Y'know Naoto, you can sit on the couch. I don't mind."

Naoto ignores him and her face goes a little red.

"Alright, alright. Suit yourself."

He plops onto the floor beside her, grabbing a Wii-remote and nunchuck. He imitates her motions as she continues to play the game she's so fixated on.

"So you're a wolf?"

"A sun goddess, to be exact. Amaterasu."

She waits for a snarky or snide comment. It doesn't come, so she continues comfortably.

"Amaterasu has a very long, detailed history, which this game has certainly made hints towards. There are many references to mythological figures; in fact, mythology, she's actually the sister of Susano-o. He and Amaterasu beared a strong rivalry. Ah, and she is also related to Izanagi.. I wonder if they'll make an appearance-"

Yosuke listened intently with the slightest of smiles gracing his lips. Naoto catches a glimpse of this, and the redness on her cheeks reaches her ears.

"I'm rambling again, aren't I."

"A little."

He continues before Naoto can open her mouth.

"But I don't mind. It's fun, hanging out with you."

The wolf on screen fumbles erratically. One health point, gone.

"U-um-'"

"Just focus on the game," he says with a chuckle.


	2. goat simulator

The first game that they played was a stupid one- that's if you didn't include their word games, which certainly didn't count.

They were at Junes- a careless customer had knocked down a number of games in the electronic aisle, and Naoto happened to be passing by. Instead of helping, the man had stormed out of the area, muttering about how disorganized the store was.

"It really is a mess, huh," Yosuke said, attempting to make conversation as he collected the discs two at a time. He had tried to shoo Naoto away but she insisted on helping.

"As far as department stores go, I do not think ill of it... Disorganization is only natural when a store is so large- though that may be an indication of the place being understaffed. It's also possible that a new management plan needs to be initiated..." She picks up the discs one by one. When they both settle their stacks on the counter, Yosuke's is notably crooked in comparison to Naoto's neatly aligned one.

"Uhm- thanks," the boy says, scratching the back of his head with a lopsided grin. Naoto looks back at him and nods. A silence ensues.

Yosuke wonders if she'll say something-maybe direct the conversation to something casual, or act curious enough to inquire about what we was doing after work. He never talked to Naoto outside of the investigation team, and for some reason that felt wrong.

"I'll be going then," she concludes. Yosuke nods and watches her leave.

...Only for her to return a moment later, with a green, plastic-wrapped rectangular case in hand.

"This was at the front of the store, in the children's section. I'm certain it does not belong there."

Yosuke eyed the title of the game, trying not to look a little shocked that Naoto had returned after leaving with so much intent. "A-ah. Thanks."

"No problem." She hesitates, then turns to leave again.

And then she hears a snicker. She cannot help but turn to investigate why.

She expects Yosuke to be laughing at her, (something unpleasant stuck on her backside, perhaps) but instead she sees him grinning down at the case she had handed him.

She should turn away and walk. This was none of her business.

"...What? What are you so amused with?"

"Woah- Naoto-kun, you're still here?" he blinks, flips the case over so she can clearly read the title 'Goat Simulator'.

"Ever heard of this?"

Naoto adjusts her hat a little.

"I have not."

"What-!? Dude- I mean, dudette, what are you even doing..." he flips the disc again, eyes scanning the box. "It's on sale. We should get it." Yosuke had no idea what he was prompting, but maybe, just maybe this would be fun. If it didn't work out, he could always get Chie or Souji or maybe even Kanji to play it with him instead.

"T-there is no need, I am not one who plays these games often, and I cannot even fathom what the purpose of a goat simulator would be..."

* * *

"...Yosuke-senpai."

A car trails behind the on-screen goat. Naoto stares at it with wide eyes, and Yosuke can't seem to wipe the grin off of his face.

"What is the point of this? "

"I dunno. There is none."

"There is no organism that could support this kind of feat, let alone a goat- and why a car? Is that car made of a new lightweight material that-... "

_**Crash**_. The car rams into another oncoming car and is totaled, but the goat remains intact. Yosuke bubbles with laughter. He holds the controller out to the too-quiet Naoto.

"Wanna try?"

Naoto scowls at it.

"I fail to see how this got so popular..."

"Aww, loosen up, Naoto-kun!" he puts the controller in her hands.

The goat's limbs immediately go limp and flail unrealistically in every direction. Yosuke is unable to contain his laughter.

_Ridiculous. This is absolutely ridiculous. _


	3. monopoly

The second time they played a game, it was a board game. It was on clearance at Junes and Yosuke thought it'd be fun to bring during a get together with the team.

Everyone asked questions- where their pieces were, how much money they got for landing on this space, how much they could steal, and how much property they were allowed to own. Everyone asked except Naoto.

"You're pretty good at this, huh?" comments Chie. Beat me to the punch, Yosuke muses- he was thinking just the same thing. Though he was sure everyone was thinking the same thing, because within her latest two turns, Naoto had used her power to steal everyone's property, essentially dominating the game.

"My grandfather plays games like these with me, whenever he has time to. Which is quite often, mind you." she tosses the dice, rolls two spaces, and acquires a card that sends Yosuke, the only jail-free person left, to in-game prison.

"You're cheating!" he exclaims with a wail. It's just a playing chip that went to jail, he knows he isn't actually convicted- but something about being wrangled into jail with the rest of his friend's playing chips hurts his pride a little.

"It's called skill, Yosuke-senpai," Naoto says. _Skill my ass,_ he thinks. _This girl's a natural._

Yosuke rolls the die, miserable that he cannot progress anywhere for the turn. He spends his time staring at Naoto, who doesn't notice despite the intensity of his gaze.

When she finally does look, she's saying, "Your turn, Yosuke-senpai."

Is that a smirk he saw on the Detective Prince's lips? Surely he was imagining it.

He grumbles and rolls again.

• • •

Chie, Yukiko, and Rise are first to go home. Souji, Yosuke, and Kanji stay back, determined to win back their pride. Naoto destroys them.

"We're leaving now. Thank you Yosuke," Souji says, brushing his jacket down. Kanji follows, bundled up in his coat.

"Comin', Naoto?"

Naoto nods and keeps her eyes on the board.

"Just wait a minute, would you?" Yosuke says, crossing fingers with one hand and rolling die with the other. The result lands him onto a property where Naoto forces him to pay $100. With a sob, he hands her the crumpled remainder of his pseudo currency.

"And thus you have reached bankruptcy. That's game over."

"Arrgh!"

"Like I said- this is a game of skill. But you put up a good fight, senpai."

"I wanna rematch!" he pipes immediately. Naoto blinks, and side-glances to the group waiting at the door.

"...Gah, you're right, you should go. But I'll get you next time, Detective Prince. I swear on it, I'll outsmart you one day."

Naoto smiles.

"I'll look forward to it, Yosuke-senpai."

* * *

_A/N: Everyone- thank you so much for your feedback, I'm happy to know people are reading and enjoying this! Let me know if there are any themes/games you'd like me to cover, I love all interactions between these two. I hope there's more content for their relationship in the future, as they are such interesting and well-written characters. Here's to hoping Dancing All Night provides some for us!_


	4. snake

"Do they all work like that?"

Yosuke glances to the side, where Naoto is curiously peering at his phone.

"What? The phone games?"

"Yes. I have never figured out the full functions of the phone, I don't enjoy deciphering it."

He clicks up, left, down, and then left again. The pixellated snake scuttles across the screen, consuming the dots in its directed path.

"They're not all like this. This one's called Snake."

"Hm. It looks easy."

Yosuke gives her a look.

"You wanna try, Detective Prince? You'll never beat my score of 289 points."

He has to take this chance to gloat. Naoto beat him at Monopoly. Surely she couldn't dominate him here, too. However, she just frowns and looks out the small bus window.

"Perhaps later I shall make an attempt."

"Aww. Naoto-kun, you're a little more stiff than usual..."

"You're imagining things," she mutters. Which was a lie, most likely, seeing how she folded her arms tightly and directed her gaze away from him.

"Ooooooh. Afraid of losing to me then?"

"Please don't bother me about it."

"Ooooh, ohoh, so you _are _afraid!"

Naoto ignores him. With a halfhearted chuckle he brushes back his hair and follows up her silence.

"...Sorry."

Naoto nods.

"But hey, in all seriousness- if somethings bothering you, you can always console in me, okay? I'm your senpai, you know. I'm always open to listen."

She nods again, keenly avoiding eye contact.

Yosuke finds himself wishing that he could get more of a response out of her for some reason. Not an angry one, that is. While it was fun to tease her, he really didn't mind hanging out with her. He didn't feel the need to impress her, and she didn't ridicule him like the others did. In fact, she spent a good amount of time listening to him.

He just didn't know how to figure her out, though- there had to be a way to get to know her better, but he felt he was far too clumsy to learn how to do so.

With sigh, he reclines back into his seat.

At the back of his mind, Saki-senpai's voice echoes, '_pain in the ass.' _


	5. kindness

The urge to continue bothering her was strong. Monstrously so.

Naoto seemed to be more quiet lately. Which was a weird thing to say, really, because Naoto was always quiet. But Yosuke noticed that whilst the investigation team was gathered, she was letting her gaze wander to her notebook, or to her hands, or to the nearest drink, where she'd space out for a moment or two. She was distracted- a quality very rarely displayed by the brainy detective.

She was good at hiding her feelings. He had to give her that. Yosuke was awfully familiar with the ways of upholding a tough facade, and thus he knew discreet ways in which it fell apart.

"Naoto," he calls softly, cutting into the detective's thoughts.

They were in the middle of a casual gathering at Junes. Yukiko is showing off her latest cooking project, complete with pictures and various recipes extracted from the internet. Chie and Teddie were inputting their thoughts on the potential disaster, which Yosuke notes isn't going too well. Souji and Kanji looked a little nervous about the girls' suggestion for a beach barbecue party.

Yosuke has his focus on Naoto. His voice is barely above a whisper, so she can hear him but the rest of the team can't. His eyes seems to have a gleam that is complimentary to the grin on his face. He sneaks a small tray of sushi to her from under the table.

She holds the object, scanning it for details. The Junes label packaging is bright- obnoxiously so, she observes. It also contains california rolls- a favourite of hers that he shouldn't know about.

She looks back at Yosuke, at the tray, and then once again to Yosuke.

How did he know? Was it just a lucky guess?

He simply winks, then turns back to the discussing group to explain why tartar sauce and mayonnaise are not the same and cannot be used as salad dressing. At the corner of his eye, he can see her smiling.


	6. rhythm heaven

"Hey, Naoto. I've been meaning to ask you something for a while now..."

"Hm?"

"It's personal, though. So if you don't want to answer, you don't have to."

"... I cannot assure you will receive answers you're expecting, but go on."

"Well... Your shadow-"

Naoto's shoulders tense, but she continues tapping the screen to a steady rhythm. Tap, tap, tap.

"It's something other than the... well, the bigger of shocks that it revealed. One of the things that stuck out to me was that it was crying out about how you were lonely."

Tap, taka, tap. Click.

"Yes."

He taps his feet, she taps the screen. They seemed to share a lot of silences.

"Well... do you still feel that way? Now that you have met everyone?"

"Not as much."

"Not as much?"

Naoto nods.

"Meaning, you still feel that way from time to time?"

"..."

She finishes the level, then sets the 3DS down. Closes it. Sighs. She seems to be thinking.

"Sometimes, I do. It's..."

She rakes her fingers down her hair, which wasn't in its usual state of being concealed by her hat.

"...It's a loneliness that can't quite be filled by friends. A void in my heart, if you will. As if a piece of it were missing..." her voice fades out, and she pauses. Yosuke expects her to stop there, but she continues.

"I hadn't any siblings, nor cousins, or any other people I could turn to for socialization. Other than my parents, of course. As an only child, the loneliness sort of lingered around me from the very beginning. When I got to school, it only got worse. I didn't know how to interact with others. I only knew how to solve puzzles, and I was quite good at reading... but in terms of finding a voice for myself, and using it to reach out to others... I didn't have that capability."

She frowns.

"You can only imagine how I felt once my parents died. I..."

Her face is coloured with a mural of emotions. He'd almost say that her eyes looked a little red, but her vulnerability is visible for but a fleeting moment. She's back to a neutral expression again- and Yosuke somehow feels like he's failed her. Why did she have to hide? Why couldn't he be better at comforting? Why couldn't he be a good person whom she could be comfortable around? If only Souji were here, he'd-

"...How did you do it, senpai? Making friends, working your job and having to please people all the time...I'm sure it wasn't easy to start anew since you came from the city. Even if you are clumsy with it from time to time, you have an undeniable ability to gravitate towards others and socialize. If anything, I think it's brave that you continue to interact with others- even when you have moments when you say or do things that you aren't too proud of."

Ouch, he thinks. But he's not sure how to feel, because it _is _true. And in her own Naoto-like way, the detective was complimenting him.

"That's the thing, Naoto. I don't really have a way of doing things. I just do them- without thinking, for the most part," he's laughing as he comments, "I suppose that's the biggest difference between you and I. I run on impulse, and you run on careful preparation."

"It is intriguing how we are friends then, is it not? Usually people need to have a lot in common to get along."

Yosuke laughs again.

"Definitely. I don't think it's a bad thing, though."

A nod.

"I don't think it's a bad thing either. It's...nice, what we have. I am thankful for your company."

"Aha! Well, besides games and bein' lonely bros, that's three things we have in common. Looks like we have a lot more in common than you think, Naoto-kun! Not bad grounds for having a friendship, hm?"

Naoto looks so pretty when smiles. If he makes her laugh hard enough, he gets glimpses of a smile pulling far enough to bare teeth. She's doing that now, but he can't see because she's covering her mouth with her hand.

_One day I'll take that hand and put my lips there in its place,_ he thinks.

...

Wait.

_What?_

* * *

_A/N: Ahem- thank you for your kindness, everyone! I am pleasantly surprised to have people reading, following, favoriting, and even reviewing this work. Your support motivates me to write and post more. I haven't forgotten about your requests, by the way! Please be patient with me. _


	7. twister

_A/N: I am in high hopes that no one saw the update I posted a few minutes ago, which was filled to the brim with embarrassing rough draft content. Don't be me-r__emember to proofread your works before you post them, friends! No matter how excited you are to get 'em out there. _

_Anyways, this chapter is dedicated to user Miss Hanamura. Thank you for reading. ;) _

* * *

"_Noooo_oo_oooooooooooo_!"

The shriek is ear-piercing. Yosuke cringes a little as he watches a defeated Teddie roll off of the twister mat. Naoto, bent over and touching her toes a few spaces away from him, watches the blond make his unceremonious exit.

"And.. That leaves Naoto and Yosuke! Go Naoto!"

"What- Rise, you're not even going to cheer for me!?"

"Yosuke! Right foot, green!"

Ignored, Yosuke grumbles something about lacking moral support before smacking his foot down on the green circle by Naoto's foot. He's now in a weird position that is resemblance of a lunge, and he's grinning stupidly at the detective before him.

"Bet I can beat'cha at this game," he coos. He's not even sure why he's prompting this. Maybe he just wanted to go against Rise because she _wasn't _cheering for him.

Naoto continues to look down, because her pose obligates her to. She shakes her head.

"I bet you cannot." she replies. Rise calls out right hand, red, and she sticks her hand on a circle near Yosuke's ankles.

"Oh, yeah? You willing to bet a lunch at Aiya's on this?"

Without hesitation comes "Yes," from Naoto. She stretches her right foot onto the green circle behind her and huffs.

"I'm a Twister pro, just so you know, little Prince!"

"There's a reason why we're _both _still here, and not sitting out. I'm not going to back away, especially if you are going to continue challenging me." She croons her head to make a face at him, and he laughs. "And don't call me little."

Rise gives out the next move, which makes Yosuke move his left foot on the nearest yellow circle. His stance quivers slightly.

"It's a challenge alright, but you're not gonna win!"

"Naoto-kun! Left foot, yellow!"

She moves her foot to a yellow spot. She now is doing an odd cross between the splits, supporting herself with her hands twisted and apart from one another.

"Left hand, yellow!"

Yosuke's next move forces him to hover over her- he wasn't about to put his left hand on a yellow circle when it meant being face-to-face with Naoto! But somehow, with his legs now on either side of her head, this wasn't the wisest choice to go with either...

Naoto quits barking insults, because she's busy trying not to react to this new, awkward pose. She stares forward, position frozen.

"Aaaand, right hand, blue!"

Naoto's eyes widen. Her options were the following: putting her right hand on the closest blue circle and having to be yet even closer to Yosuke's body, or stretching to blue circle beside that one which was further and would require some strength to uphold.

She choses the former. Grunts a little as she does so.

"Right foot, green!"

Yosuke juts his right foot out to touch the circle. His legs are twisted, now. Naoto is still between him. At least he has his arms to support him.

"Left root, blue!"

Naoto scoots her feet forward. Her behind is in the air and she hangs her head so people can't see her expression.

"Right hand, red!"

Yosuke moves from resting on both of his hands to supporting his body with one. He groans, awkwardly twisted above Naoto.

"Right hand, green!"

She reaches out to the tru- the green circle. Which is a place she can only reasonably access if she crawls under Yosuke. So she does. And she tries her best to ignore the fact that his bum is in her face.

"Left hand, ye- Oooooooh!"

Yosuke hears a thud and an indignant grumble, signaling Naoto's crashing defeat. He finally relaxes his pose, sighing as he lands his rump on the plastic mat.

"Toldja' I'd beat you, Detective Prince!" he chimes, which earns him a bemused stare from Naoto.

"This isn't my forte category," she says lowly. "...But congratulations." She nods and offers her hand to shake. The auburn haired boy responds by slapping it into a high-five with his own palm. She can't do anything but blink in confusion.

"It isn't the last time this'll happen, Naoto! I'm gonna beat you next time, too."

"Oh, are you?"

"You betcha!"

"I'm not so sure your luck will last you that long, senpai."

"Ohoho, you think luck's all I've got?"

"Yes."

"...Ouch."

"T-That was a joke. I apologize..."

"I know it was!"

"..."

Naoto's blushing, not out of any romantic reason but because Yosuke was bugging her again, and he seemed to know how to quickly get her flustered. She delivers a quick punch to his arm before stalking off into the basement. Everyone watches her leave, and once she's gone Yosuke turns his attention back to the group.

"_Oooooh_, what's going on with _you two_?" Rise coos.

"What?!" He feels heat creeping onto his cheeks.

"Just looks like a fight to me," Kanji comments, scratching the back of his neck.

"Nooo, no, there's something going on here... You're bugging her on purpose, aren't you, Yosuke-senpai?"

"W-what?! No! No way!"

"For what reason would you- Oh! Does it have to do with you calling her cute during that one study group?"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" He gets redder.

"Oh- is that why you were making up the moves instead of actually reading them from the spinner, Rise?" Chie asks. An snort escapes Yukiko.

"... Wait, are you kidding me?! What do you mean you were just making up the moves?!" Yosuke is the one who is befuddled, now.

Rise giggles and skips away to accompany Naoto. Yosuke is left there, numerous questions occupying the back of his mind while Yukiko breaks out into a fit of laughter.


End file.
